


Happy Hunting

by bloodorangeblackberry



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adventure, Background Drarry, F/M, Fluff, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:34:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,568
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28045524
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bloodorangeblackberry/pseuds/bloodorangeblackberry
Summary: Ulysses finally convinces Hedwig to go hunting with him.
Relationships: Hedwig/Draco Malfoy's Owl
Kudos: 3





	Happy Hunting

**Author's Note:**

> *disclaimer this is a little bit unrealistic, only because owls can’t roll their eyes.*
> 
> *Pig & Hedwig prequel here   
> [A Happy Hunting Prequel](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28076130)

Hedwig was only a little bit concerned about Harry. Would he ever figure out his feelings for Draco? At this rate, possibly not. Well, that was up to him. she wasn’t going to make the same mistake, obsessing from afar over a potential lover, especially one who was so clearly obsessed with her. She was better than that, and certainly had better tactics.

She nipped Harry on the finger to get his attention, he had been glaring at Draco during all of breakfast, still not responding to his letter.

“Ouch!” Harry squealed like a baby. Hedwig rolled her eyes and shoved the parchment toward him with her foot. 

“Okay, okay…” Harry scribbled a reply to Hagrid concerning tea later that day, and the impatient owl grabbed it in her beak to fly off. Hedwig had places to be. She’d been eyeing Ulysses over at the Slytherin table, who now had his leg out, Draco tying a small parcel to it. She needed to be just ahead of him.

Hedwig timed it perfectly—as she exited the Great Hall she heard Ulysses hurrying to catch up with her. Just as she got outside the tall eagle owl swooped down beside her in the air.

“Wassup beautiful? Where you off to so fast?”

Wow, good one. And she though he had changed since fourth year. He had been especially trying then, always pestering her when she was trying to make discrete deliveries to Snuffles. She’d had to be quite mean to get him off her tailfeathers.

“Just doing my job,” she spoke back to him telepathically, as owls do. “Looks like you have a delivery yourself to get to.”

“Aww, work work work,” Ulysses drawled, flying circles around the lady-owl, ending upside down flying above her—actually quite impressive, especially considering he was off-balance with a package in talons—“but what’s life without a little fun?”

Hedwig rolled her eyes for the second time that morning.

“Get going you hedonist.”

Ulysses pulled his best pouting face but flew off to make his delivery.

Secretly, Hedwig hoped he didn’t stay too long at Malfoy Manor.

~~~

Back at the owlery, Hedwig landed on one of the tallest perches. After dropping Harry’s letter off at Hagrid’s and catching a nice juicy bat, the sun was up and she was ready to go to sleep. While she knew Malfoy manor was too far away for Ulysses to already have returned, her heart sunk just a little bit. “Nonsense,” she muttered telepathically to herself, and settled into bed on her favorite ledge. Maybe Ulysses hadn’t grown up as much as she’d thought… plus he wasn’t even here! No point thinking about him… But as she fell asleep she couldn’t help but imaging his fluffy feathers and strong wings next to her as she drifted off into the blissful sleep of daytime.

~~~

1 daytime later…now dusk

~~~

Ulysses’ well-practiced eyes spotted Hedwig the moment he returned to the owlery. What was she doing off in a corner with that barn owl, Jareth? His heart leapt with wild jealousy.

He ambled over toward them, not eavesdropping, just seeing if he could happen to hear what was going on.

“No you should definitely try those fields out, Pig and I went hunting there last last week, and the voles are delicious. But tonight I think I fancy frogs.”

Ulysses seized his chance for a dramatic entrance. “Did I hear someone say frogs? I know the perfect cliff by the lake for finding frogs.” He eyed Hedwig flirtatiously, and Jareth edged away to find Pigwidgeon. 

~~~

Hedwig and Ulysses swooped out of the owlery together, flying circles over the grounds and heading toward the water, eventually landing at the gray cliffs where a small freshwater estuary met the black lake. After catching their fill of frogs the two owls landed on a crag of the cliff face. Ulysses scooted himself closer and put his face really close to the other owl’s, kind of awkwardly.  
“Hedwig?”  
“Hmmm?”  
“Want to check out the Forbidden Forest? I know the perfect place, and the night is still young.”  
“Let’s go, but I doubt you can show me anything new, I have explored the forest pretty thoroughly,” Hedwig challenged.  
“I guess we’ll find out.”

The two owls flew together until they reached the tree tops. The eagle owl led them in deeper into the darkness.

“You’re not taking me to see the giant spiders are you Ulysses?” asked Hedwig, suspicious of the direction they were headed. “Because that would be crazy.”

“No of course not,” Ulysses acted insulted, but soon they veered heavily off course, retracing their earlier flight path. Hedwig noticed this in disbelief, but didn’t mention it again. 

A few minutes later they landed in some tall alder trees, and the snowy owl’s sharp ears picked out the clippety clop of hooves. 

“Centaurs?” Hedwig asked. “But I’ve seen those before.”

Ulysses winked one of his enormous orange eyes. ”Let’s get closer.”

Branch by branch, the two owls fluttered lower in the foliage, and closer to the sound of the encampment.

“They don’t hunt owls do they?” queried Hedwig. Ulysses shrugged his wings. 

“I don’t think so. I think they may use feathers for some divination, but I don’t think they necessarily hunt for them.”

Not entirely reassured, Hedwig proceeded cautiously. The owls’ bravery was rewarded though, a glowing firelight and the scent of strong herbal smoke soon reached them. The centaurs were clearly gathering for some special occasion. At first just small groups of one or two were gathered around the fire, arms linked in conversation, some singing or making a low humming noise, gazing intently into the smoke and flames. 

Over time though, while the owls sat silently in the branches above, more centaurs stood to join in around the fire. With every additional body entwined in the chain of linked arms, the smoke rising skyward seemed to dance more and more energetically. After some time, they formed a circle, their humming grew louder, and the centaurs began to sway back and forth. They then began to step in sync to the left, left, right, then left, left, right. 

The rising smoke shifted and twisted into clear shapes as it rose, though any potential meaning in the smoky figures was lost on the two owls. Ulysses scooted closer to his hunting partner, until their wings were comfortably resting against each other. Hedwig whispered “What are they doing?” 

“Tonight is the equinox. Every autumn they gather to gaze ahead into the new year, and end the last. I saw it for the first time last fall.”

She glanced toward him in awe, her bright yellow eyes dancing from the firelight. Turning back toward the sight before them, she snuggled in closer to the large eagle owl. He rested his head lightly on top of hers, just for a moment.

One of the largest and most decorated centaurs finally broke the circle, leading the rest toward the central pillar of smoke in a spiral, step by step in the same rhythm as before. Time seemed to stop for the two owls as they gazed upon the scene slowly unravelling before them, until the fire died out and the last centaurs reached the middle, and all scattered to sleep for the rest of the night.

The two were incredibly comfortable, but when a hint of dawn began to peak over the horizon, Ulysses nudged Hedwig. “We’d better go, we don’t want to end up falling asleep here. They practice archery in the mornings.”

The owls fluttered off into the night toward the edge of the forest. 

After enough time had passed, Hedwig eyed her hunting partner mischievously.

“You showed me something new tonight, maybe I can return the favor."

“I have spent five years hunting in this forest, you really think you have something new to me?” 

“Want to arrive back at the castle in style?” she asked.

Hedwig kept flying straight toward the castle, but hooted distinctly.

“What are you doing?”

Hedwig kept up the hooting, flying lower into the trees. Aha! There she was.

“Come one Ulysses, she’s an old fr—well, acquaintance.”

The Anglia had long ago apologized to Hedwig for expelling her so viciously from the car three years ago, but still owed her a few favors.

The passenger door opened for the two owls to flutter in. Hedwig was used to the bumpy ride, so the whole time she watched the wide and very uncomfortable eyes of the owl next to her, delighted. 

Once they reached the forest’s edge near the castle and said goodbye to Angie, Ulysses had to take a few tentative steps (on the ground—mortifying) to regain his balance. 

The sun was now rising.

“Do you want to head back to the owlery first, or should we head straight to breakfast?” she asked.

“Let’s stop by the Great Hall first, but one thing…”

The orange eyes met the yellow, and simultaneously, both owls blurted out precisely what the other was thinking. 

“Harry and Draco can NEVER know.”

~~~

An appropriate number of months later….

~~~

Five little owlets happily gulped down regurgitated mice, their little beaks chirping adorably. Two little snowy owlets, two little eagle owlets, and one gorgeous little snowy-eagle hybrid. Ulysses swooped down to rest beside his lovely snowy owl lady, and snuggled his face into her feathers. They were, indeed, the happiest of owl families.

**Author's Note:**

> *I figured that although if they were humans it probably wouldn’t be appropriate to sneak on a ritual like this, but since they’re owls it’s probably fine.
> 
> *the idea for the centaur fire circle was inspired by an Estonian dance I learned once in a class, but I can’t remember the name of it. You sing the rhythm for the steps though, and I imagine that human dancing combined with horse feet (like human dressage to rhythm) would look pretty dope. [and yes I just used dressage and dope in the same sentence but I’m not going to change it]
> 
> *baby owls grow up in only nine weeks, so there is plenty of time for them to grow up before the summer, whichever summer that is. in case you were worried.
> 
> thanks for reading!


End file.
